Gate.



UNTTED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JMANUEL M. GROSNICKLE, OF NORTH-MANCHESTER, INDIANA.

SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,575, dated October 7, 1902.

Application tiled November 2l, 1901. Serial No. 83.167. (No model.)

To all wiz/0711, it nung concern:

Be it known that I, EMANUEL M. Gnos- NICKLE, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at North Manchester, in the county ot` Wabash and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Gate, of which the following is a specication.

The invention relates to improvements in gates.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of swinging gates and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and ei'ticient one adapted to be readily opened and closed at a distance from it by a person on horseback or in a vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gate of this character which will swing freely and which will be eftectually prevented from sagging.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a gate constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the post or support, illustrating the manner of mounting the gate thereon.

Like numerals of reference designate cor,- responding parts in both figures of the drawings.

1 designates a swinging gate, which may be of any desired construction and which is provided with a rearwardly-extending arm 2, preferably constructed of metal and terminating at its outer end in a spindle or jou rnal 3. The arm extends from the upper portion of the gate and is provided adjacent to the same with an eye or opening 4, receiving a pivot 5 of a post or support 6. The post orsupport 6, which is round, is provided at the top with a metal cap 7, having a ballrace 8 in its upper face Vreceiving a series of antifriction-balls 9, and the latter are interposed between the cap of the post and the bearing-plate or cap lO, which covers the balls 9 and which is carried by the arm of the gate. The pivot 5, which extends vertically from the top of the post, is preferably formed integral with the cap thereof, and the bearcurved arms or guards ll, located at opposite sides of the rounded post or support and adapted to prevent the gate from becoming displaced. The arms, which are secured to the `gate at opposite sides thereof, are spaced .from the post and do not come in contact with the same during the ordinary swinging movement of the gate; but should the latter be subjected to va strain tending to twist or injure the ball-bearing at the top of the post the guards or arms will prevent such twisting movement of the gate.

The rearwardly-extending arm has its outer portion arranged at an inclination, and its pivot or spindle receives a vertically-disposed antifriction wheel l2, arranged beneath a curved track 12a and having its periphery transversely curved or rounded to reduce the friction to a minimum. The track, which is preferably constructed of metal, is semicircular and is arranged in rear of the gate, being provided atintervals with dependingarms 14, secured to a curved series of posts 15. The rearwardly-extending arm is adapted to support or counterbalance the gate to prevent the same from sagging, and as the wheel rolls freely on the lower face of the curved track the gate is adapted to swing frictionlessly. By this construction the gate is effectually prevented from sagging and its durability is greatly increased.

lThe gate is operated by ropes or cables 16 or other suitable flexible connections, which extend from the end posts of the curved series to suitable supports, (not shown,) and the outer ends of the ropes or cables may be suppoxted in any suitable manner to enable them to be readily grasped by a person on horseback or in a vehicle. The end posts are provided with guide-pulleys 17, and the operating-ropes pass beneath supplemental latches 1S, arranged to engage the gate and adapted to hold thelatter in its open position and capable of being automatically disengaged when the operating cord or cable is pulled. The operating ropes or cables extend from the guides of the end posts to a central guide 20 of the rearwardly-extending arm, and this IOO guide preferably consists of a ring provided with antifrietion sleeves or pulleys arranged at opposite sides and adapted to permit the operating cords or ropes to work freely through the guide. The operating cords or ropes extend upward from the central guide at opposite sides of the rearwardly-extending arm and are connected with the gate by a latch cord or rope 2l, passing over a guidepulley 22 and secured at its front end to a latch 23. The latch 23, which may be of any desired construction, is adapted to engage a keeper 24C of a latch-post 25. When the gate is closed, if either of the operating ropes or cords is pulled the main latch will be withdrawn from engagement with the keeper of the latch-post and the gate will be swung to its open position. The gate is held in such open position by one of the supplemental latches. After passingr through the gateway the person operating the gate pulls the other operating rope or cable, which lifts the supplemental latch out of engagement with the gate and closes the latter. A guide 26 is arranged in rear of the gate and is provided at the top with an arm 27 and is adapted to receive one of the ropes or cables when the other is operated to open the gate, whereby the rope or cable engaged by the guide 26 will be odset from the end posts to enable it to readily swing the rearwardly-extending arm in the proper direction for closing the gate. The guide 26 may be provided with any suitable antifriction devices and it may be mounted in any suitable manner, and its arm extends rearward, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

In order to support the gate and to prevent the same from sagging, an inclined brace 28 is employed. This brace extends from the upper terminal of the inner end bar of the gate to the outer portion of the arm and preferably consists of two rods or sections connected bya turnbuckle 29, which is adapted to be rotated to tighten the parts to counteract any sagging of the gate.

It will be seen that the gate is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that it is easily operated, and that it is adapted to be opened and closed at a distance from either side of it. It will also be apparent that the rearwardly-extending arm, which carries the vertical wheel, is adapted to prevent the gate from sagging and enables the same to swing freely.

l. The combination of a swinging gate provided with a rearwardly-extending arm having an antifriction device, said gate being adapted to open in either direction, an approximately semicircular track located centrally in rear of the gate and extending forward at opposite sides of the same and located above and receiving the antifriction device, a guide carried by the arm, a latch arranged at the front of the gate, and operating-ropes extending through the guide and connected with the latch, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a swinging gate provided with a latch and having a rearwardlyextending arm having an antifriction device, a curved track located in rear of the gate and arranged above and receiving the antifriction device, latches located at opposite sides of the gate adjacent to the ends of the track and arranged to hold the gate in its open position, and operating-ropes connected with the arm and with the latches and arranged to release the gate and actuate the same, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a swinging gate provided with a rearwardly-extending arm having a pivot or spindle, a wheel mounted on the pivot or spindle, a curved track arranged above and receiving the wheel, a central guide carried by the arm, a latch mounted on the gate, and operating ropes 0r cables extending through the central guide ofthe arm and connected with the latch of the gat-e, substantially as described.

et. The combination of a swinging gate having a rearwardly-extending arm provided with an antifriction device, a track receiving the same and adapted to prevent the gate from sagging, a guide carried by the arm, operating-ropes extending through the guide and connected with the gate, and a guide l0- cated in rear of the gate and arranged to reevice and offset one of the operating-ropes when the gate is open, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a swinging gate having a rearwardly-extending arm, a track located above and receiving the arm to prevent the gate from sagging, operating ropes or cables connected with the gate and extending from the arm in opposite directions, and the supplemental pivoted latches located above the operating ropes or cables and adapted to be swung upward by the same, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EMANUEL M. GROSNICKLE.

Witnesses:

THOMSON ARNOLD, JOHN ISENBURGER.

Vloo

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